Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délacer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb délacer

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The English translation of the French verb délacer is “to untie” or “to unlace.” It is pronounced like “day-lah-say” in French.

Délacer comes from the Old French word “deslacer,” which is derived from the Latin word “dis,” meaning “apart,” and “laqueus,” meaning “lace.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of untying or undoing something, particularly a piece of clothing or a shoelace.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, délacer is conjugated as “que j’eusse délacé,” “que tu eusses délacé,” “qu’il/elle eût délacé,” “que nous eussions délacé,” “que vous eussiez délacé,” “qu’ils/elles eussent délacé.” This tense is used to express an action that would have happened before another past action or event.

Here are three simple examples of délacer in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. Il était temps que j’eusse délacé mes chaussures avant d’entrer dans la maison. (It was time for me to have untied my shoes before entering the house.)

  2. Je regrettais de ne pas avoir écouté ma mère, qui m’avait conseillé d’eusses délacé mon manteau avant de le mettre au lavage. (I regretted not having listened to my mother, who had advised me to have unbuttoned my coat before putting it in the laundry.)

  3. Si elles avaient suivi les instructions, elles n’eussent pas délacé le ruban du cadeau. (If they had followed the instructions, they wouldn’t have untied the ribbon on the gift.)

Table of the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of délacer

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse délacé J’aurais aimé que je eusse délacé. I wish I had unlaced.
tu eusses délacé J’aurais aimé que tu eusses délacé. I wish you had unlaced.
il eût délacé J’aurais aimé qu’il eût délacé. I wish he had unlaced.
elle eût délacé J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût délacé. I wish she had unlaced.
on eût délacé J’aurais aimé qu’on eût délacé. I wish one had unlaced.
nous eussions délacé J’aurais aimé que nous eussions délacé. I wish we had unlaced.
vous eussiez délacé J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez délacé. I wish you had unlaced.
ils eussent délacé J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent délacé. I wish they had unlaced.
elles eussent délacé J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent délacé. I wish they had unlaced.

Other Conjugations for Délacer.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb délacer
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délacer
   

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délacer
   

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délacer
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délacer
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délacer
   

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délacer
   

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délacer

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délacer

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délacer

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délacer
   

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délacer

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délacer
   

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délacer
   

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délacer

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délacer

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délacer
    (this article)

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Délacer – About the French Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense

The French Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait, also known as the Pluperfect Subjunctive, is a verb tense used to express actions or states that occurred before another action in the past, and it’s used in situations where the indicative mood is in the past subjunctive or conditional mood.
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

To form the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait, you start with the imperfect subjunctive form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être,” followed by the past participle of the main verb. 
For “avoir” verbs: Take the imperfect subjunctive form of “avoir” (e.g., j’eusse, tu eusses, il/elle eût, nous eussions, vous eussiez, ils/elles eussent). Add the past participle of the main verb. 
For “être” verbs: Take the imperfect subjunctive form of “être” (e.g., je fusse, tu fusses, il/elle fût, nous fussions, vous fussiez, ils/elles fussent). Add the past participle of the main verb.

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Hypothetical Situations

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait is often used to express hypothetical or unreal actions that occurred before another past action.
For example: J’aurais aimé que tu aies fini ton travail avant que je sois arrivé. (I would have liked for you to have finished your work before I arrived.) 

Reported Speech

In reported speech, you may use the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait to convey what someone said or thought in the past. 
For example: Il m’a dit qu’il avait peur que je n’aie pas compris. (He told me that he was afraid that I hadn’t understood.) 

Doubt, Wishes, and Emotions

This tense can also be used to express doubt, wishes, and emotions about past actions. 
For example: Je doutais qu’il eût dit la vérité. (I doubted that he had told the truth.) 
J’aurais souhaité que tu fusses venu. (I would have wished for you to have come.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Present Subjunctive

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait can be used to describe past actions when the main verb is in the present subjunctive. 
For example: “Il faut que j’aie fini mon travail avant que tu partes.” (I must have finished my work before you leave.) 

Imperfect Subjunctive

It’s common to use the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait with the imperfect subjunctive in complex sentences. 
For example: “Il m’avait dit qu’il fût rentré avant la fin de la journée.” (He had told me that he had returned before the end of the day.) 

Conditional

When the main verb is in the conditional mood, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait can be used to express past unreal conditions. 
For example: “Si j’avais su, j’aurais voulu que tu aies réussi.” (If I had known, I would have wanted you to have succeeded.)

Summary

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait is a complex tense used to convey nuanced meanings in French. While its usage may seem intricate, it becomes more intuitive with practice and exposure to the language. It’s important to understand the context in which it’s used, as it often conveys subtleties of time, conditionality, and emotion in French sentences.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb délacer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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